


Don't Forget to Remember Me

by arrows_and_fairytales



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 21:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3502808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arrows_and_fairytales/pseuds/arrows_and_fairytales
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a deep breath. Or even lived, for that matter. Time hadn’t moved the same since he had watched her body crumple to the ground. Even when she had burst from beneath the waters of the pit with a gasp. Because while her heart was once again beating, and she was still the woman he loved, a part of her was still gone. All her memories, all the things they had done, every single moment that was burned in vivid color in his own mine was snuffed out.</p><p> </p><p>A bit of speculation as to what might happen if a side effect of the Lazarus Pit is temporary amnesia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Forget to Remember Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jennfics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennfics/gifts).



> It wasn’t until I wrote this that I appreciated how difficult writing amnesia scenes—which rely heavily on the writing to be pulled off correctly—was. You walk a very fine line of have established character interactions and relationships, but having that character treat the others as strangers. And then you have to tackle how they, the other characters, in turn react. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. It’s not my favorite fic I’ve ever written, but who knows, maybe I’m just being too hard on myself.

This definitely wasn’t MIT. **  
**

It was maddening because logically she knew that she was years away from her freshman year, but she couldn’t remember a damn thing. And now she was in a place (or at least a bedroom) that looked more like a far eastern resort than a hospital.

She was ready to lose her mind.

Except that it was already gone. Injured in an accident that the kid who kept coming to her room, in a worn red hoodie, still had yet to tell her about.

Then, as if the Twilight Zone experience wasn’t complete, there was her guardian angel. Or hocker. She hadn’t decided how exactly to label him.

She had seen others pass in front of the doorway—the kid, an enormous black man, and a petite young woman—but she had never seen him. All Felicity could see was the shadow of his figure, usually sitting on the floor, as the setting sun streamed through a window at the end of the all—or at least that’s what she assumed. Sometimes the light would elongate the shadows of his feet as he paced back and forth. Sometimes she could hear snatches of his voice as he spoke quietly with the others.

Oliver. His name was Oliver. Or that’s what she thought she had heard him called by one of the others.

Felicity sighed as she rolled over on the small bed, pushed up against one of the walls. As she let her eyes drift closed, she lifted her hand slightly and began tracing an image idly on the wall. It was something that calmed her in this world she couldn’t even begin to get a handle on. She still understand why her brain had unconsciously chosen that particular image to trace over and over again. In fact, Felicity couldn’t remember having even seen one - unless you counted that one memorable time play World of Warcraft. But it still didn’t answer the question that seemed to nag more constant than the others.

Why would an arrowhead bring her so much calm?

<————————————>

Roy felt awkward as he moved around the room, straightening things, collecting the leftovers from Felicity’s meal. Her gaze had followed him since he entered the room, but she hadn’t said much.

“So, you’re still in college. That must be nice. Must have been fun times.” Although he mentally slapped himself for such a choice of small talk, he needed to break the silence.

“Hmmm.” Felicity said, her eyes blinking several times as she tilted her head. It was uncanny, Roy thought, how many of the same mannerisms she and Oliver shared. Apparently not even amnesia could affect their deep-rooted bond. “Oh, yeah. I guess. I don’t have many friends, but I suppose that’s a good thing, considering how much time I spend writing code.”

Roy nodded, suddenly feeling as if the room was suffocating him. He was regretting volunteering to be the one to interact with this Felicity; he hadn’t realized how difficult it would be to see the woman he loved like a sister, now alive and well, look through him as if he was a stranger. She had no idea who he was and it was awful.

“Well, I’m just gonna go and get this out of your way.” He lifted the tray in his hands, before turning and fleeing the bedroom.

<————————————>

“Felicity.” Diggle said gently as he walked around the bed to sit in the chair.

She sighed, leaning her head back and closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter how many of you come in here. I’m not going to remember anything.”

“That’s okay. I want to be here.”

Felicity turned her head to shoot him a look, when memories began flashing in her mind.

_Walking down to a car in her PJs with a cup of cocoa._

_Tossing fried computer parts and being told that she was irreplaceable._

Diggle noticed her wide eyes and stood up, leaning towards her. “Felicity, did you remember something?”

She groaned. “Maybe.”

“You and I were teammates.”

“Teammates? I thought I worked in the IT department at a place called Queen Consolidated. Or are you also a tech guy. Because you just don’t seem like it, given your size and all. I wasn’t referring to—”

Digg chuckled. “No. We just have something in common, or someone. Call it a side-project.”

“A side project?”

He nodded. Hopefully, these memories were the first signs that Felicity was on the road to recovery.

<————————————>

Oliver couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a deep breath. Or even lived, for that matter. Time hadn’t moved the same since he had watched her body crumple to the ground. Even when she had burst from beneath the waters of the pit with a gasp. Because while her heart was once again beating, and she was still the woman he loved, a part of her was still gone. All her memories, all the things they had done, every single moment that was burned in vivid color in his own mine was snuffed out.

He wasn’t sure which death was worse.

In this limbo state, he hovered. Standing or sitting just outside her door. Counting her breaths. Listening to her make small talk with Roy or Diggle. Each moment he spent there was the worst form of torture, because she was alive, but she wasn’t here.

Thea had yelled at him, even slapping him once, trying to get him to snap out of the trance that he was in, as she had called it. But her efforts were in vain.

Oliver hadn’t realized how much of his life, his existence was so intricately tied with Felicity Megan Smoak. Sure, he knew he loved her, was in love with her, that she was his happiness. This, though? This felt as if three quarters of himself had been tied to the balloon of her memories. And like them, a large chunk of his every existence had floated off into some sort of void.

When Oliver heard her soft snores, he had stood and walked into her room, telling himself that it was just to check on her. Something Digg had done only hours before.

He let the tips of his fingers skim across the blanket, pausing at the hand that was laying by her side, when suddenly her eyes flew open and she had his hand in a vice grip.

“Who are you?” Although her eyes were alert, her voice was thick with sleep.

Oliver eased his hand from hers. “I’m Oliver.”

Felicity looked at him confused for a moment, before realization hit her. “You’re the one who’s been keeping watch outside my room.”

He nodded.

“Are you a friend of mine? Or what was it that the guy with the funny name said,” She paused. “Oh, right, teammate. Are we teammates?”

Oliver smiled sadly as he helped her sit up. “Yeah. We’ve worked together for over three years now. We met when I came to you with a broken laptop.”

“No offense, but I don’t see how that’s even possible. You’re all you.” She waved her hand, gesturing to what he assumed was his body. “And I’m just me. The nerdy computer geek from Vegas. Talk about unthinkable. You and me as teammates, I mean. Not that I couldn’t be from Vegas, because that is sadly very true.”

Hearing words tumble out of her mouth, so similar to what she had said on Lian-Yu over a year ago, gnawed at the little piece of himself that was still left. God, he needed her to remember.

“I know! What do you think I’m doing? Weaving baskets all day!” Felicity cried standing up.

Apparently in his frustration he had said the last part aloud. Oliver sighed. “I know you don’t want this, Felicity. And it’s probably worse on you than anyone else.”

“But what can I do! I didn’t ask for this! I don’t even know what happened to me! Because nobody feels it’s necessary to tell me these things. And I feel like I’m losing my mind, but I can’t because—”

“Felicity.” Oliver moved to stand in front of her, cutting off her pacing.

“Do you always cut off my rambling?” she asked curiously, her voice becoming softer.

“Only when I’m in a hurry and I need you to do something. And right now, I need you to remember because I am dying without you. I need you back here. I need you, Felicity. Please.” And as his words fractured with anguish, he found his hand moving to rest on her shoulder as he had done so many times before.

Instead of withdrawing from his touch, Felicity gasped.

Because she felt that warmth from that hand before.

_On her shoulder, as he told her Barry was probably dreaming about her._

_On her elbow, as he apologized for behaving like an ass. As he promised her she would never lose him._

_On her cheek, as he told her she would always be his girl._

_Holding her face as he told her to that he would never say he didn’t love her._

“Oh, God. Oliver.”

He caught her as she launched herself towards him. It was unclear who held the other tighter, but it was the moment that Oliver finally allowed himself to breathe.

 


End file.
